A Book Obsession..

It's Monday, What are you Reading? (6)

, by KT

It's Monday! What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Here's what I read this week:

Blood Lines by Eileen Wilks (Review)
Night Season by Eileen Wilks (Review)
Mortal Sins by Eileen Wilks (Review)
Blood Magic by Eileen Wilks
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler (Review)
Ravenous by Sharon Ashwood
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

This was a decent reading week, but no so much for reviews. I plan to write and hopefully post the review to Blood Magic today. I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to post a review of The Hunter Games trilogy yet. These books have cause such a phenomenon lately and there are so many reviews floating around, I think it would be a little redundant to write yet another one. I'm also not sure how to put what I feel about the books into words. I'll probably wind up writing at least something about them, because the books definitely deserve it, I'm just not sure in what form it will take.

Here is my list for the upcoming week:

Chosen by Jeanne C Stein

Yeah, I know its a really short list, if one book can even be called a list. I have to write and prepare a speech this week for one of my classes. Eek! So, I really don't know how much reading I'm going to get in. Speeches are really not my strong suit, so I'll be too busy worrying about it to do much else. I may just re-read a series to give myself some breaks. I don't want to risk getting sucked into a new series, and make it even harder to concentrate on the speech because I want to find out what happens next.

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (6)

, by KT

On fridays I participate in both Follow Friday and the Book Blogger Hop.

Follow Fridays is hosted by Parajunkee's View, and is just Fridays.

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-for-Books, and runs Friday to Monday. There are new rules for the hop, so make sure to check out Crazy for Books for the details.

This week's hop question is:

Do you use a rating system for your reviews and if so, what is it and why?

Well, I didn't use one at first, but then it seemed to get a little redundant saying over and over again that I "liked" a book. I figure a rating system helps say just how much I like/love a book. I use a 1-5 butterfly system, but I highly doubt I'll ever post a review of a book that I would give less than a 3 to. I just do not believe in trashing someone else's work. Just because I don't like something, doesn't mean someone else wouldn't. I would hate to be the reason for turning someone away from something they might have enjoyed. I also won't rate something worth a 1 or 2 in my eyes to upgrade it. I believe in honest opinions, you just won't see any bad ones ;)

My rating is posted up top in a tab, but here it is again to make it easier:
1 Butterfly: Really did not like it, had to force myself to finish it.
2 Butterflies: It was okay, not my favorite, but not terrible either.
3 Butterflies: A decent read, slightly flawed, but still good.
4 Butterflies: A very good read, almost perfect
5 Butterflies: Amazing! RUN, don't walk to the bookstore and grab this book!

Don't forget to check out my 100 Followers Contest

Hunger (Early Review)

, by KT

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
Rider's Quartet #1

"Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world."

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home—her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power—and the courage to fight her own inner demons?

A wildly original approach to the issue of eating disorders, Hunger is about the struggle to find balance in a world of extremes, and uses fantastic tropes to explore a difficult topic that touches the lives of many teens.

This book surprised me, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. However, I did enjoy it, and felt a strong connection with Lisa. It was very short, but there was a lot of material jammed packed into it. The plot centers around the destruction anorexia and other eating disorders cause, but with a little twist. I never would have pictured an anorexic person as Famine, but surprisingly it works. The characters were really well developed, and the trials Lisa goes through are very realistic. The emotions were such a roller coaster, and I can only guess what it would be like to be really experiencing them first hand, either on the side of the one with the disorder, or the ones who care for them.

I think this book would greatly appeal to anyone going through some of these issues, or anyone who cares for someone that has been damaged by an eating disorder. It really was a good look into the trials of an eating disorder, the constant nagging inner voice, and the terrible self-body image. Hopefully this book will be able to help people as the author intends it to. I know I now have a better understanding of the disorders after reading the book. I really admire the fact that some of the proceeds are going to be donated to the National Eating Disorders Association. Even if nothing like this has ever touched your life, I highly recommend this book.

(Received for review from Netgalley)

Rating:

Pre-order from Amazon:
Hunger

Mortal Sins

, by KT

Mortal Sins by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #5

FBI agent Lily Yu is in North Carolina with her lover and mate Rule Turner, lu nuncio of the Nokolai werewolf clan, where he is to take custody of his son from the boy’s grandmother. It’s a purely personal trip until Rule, in wolf form, finds three bodies in a shallow grave. They carry the stench of death magic, which makes the murders a federal crime. Lily takes charge of the investigation, and soon realizes that nothing adds up—not the motives, not even the accused killer, who’s behind bars when death strikes again.

But murder, however bizarre, is an everyday affair for Lily, who was a homicide cop before being recruited into the FBI’s Magical Crimes Division. A more personal shock arrives in the person of Rule’s son’s mother. Why is she challenging Rule’s long standing plan to bring his son to live among the Nokolai?

But family must take a back seat when the violence escalates, and there’s no rhyme or reason for the killer’s next strike—a killer who may not even be of this world...

Lily and Rule are back in the forefront in this book. What started out as a trip to pick up Rule's son, Toby, quickly turns into a huge mess when Rule stumbles upon three bodies stinking of death magic. Of course Lily is assigned the case, but she quickly learns things are not as they seem. To complicate things further, Toby's mother is now trying to contest Rule gaining custody. Adding into the trouble is the mess with Rule holding both the Leidolf and Nokolai mantles, and all the politics that ensue. When Rule tries to handle some of his duties to Nokolai, the mate bond between Lily and Rule throws a wrench in those plans.

I really do not like the way people treat Lily in this book because of her relationship with Rule. Its a wonder to think that she hid her gift all those years to shield herself from such ridicule, but in the end it comes anyway for a different reason. It just goes to show that there will always be prejudices no matter the race or species for that matter. At least Lily has a tough skin, and it seems to bother me more than her, but perhaps I've just developed a major soft spot for her.

This book kept me guessing the entire time. The brief glimpses into the "killer's" mind were very intriguing and made only want to read faster to figure out who it was. In the end, the culprit turned out to be a really interesting and unexpected twist. To stop the killings some hard choices had to be made, but I think even with the consequences things will work out in the end for the better.

The ending of this book was by far the best so far of any books in The World of the Lupi series. However, while there was definite happiness, I think the ending events are going to reek major havoc in future books. I cannot wait to read the next book to see how things work out. Some series start to fizzle after a few books, but this one is the opposite. It is definitely getting better and better the further into I get.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Mortal Sins (World of the Lupi, Book 5)

Night Season

, by KT

Night Season by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #4

A magic medallion . . .

A diplomatic envoy from another realm . . .

A dragon who doesn’t like to share. . .

. . . and a tester that turns the wrong color when she pees on it. FBI Agent Cynna Weaver’s life is a little too full right now. She’s pregnant--and lupus sorcerer Cullen Seabourne is the father. Cullen is thrilled. Cynna can barely utter the p-word. What does she know about kids? Her mother was a drunk. Her father abandoned them. Or so she’s always believed . . . .

But things could be worse. She might be snatched into another realm to meet her long-lost father--a world where humans are strictly second-class citizens. In Edge, magic is commonplace, lying is an artform, and night never ends.

And Cynna’s only way home means working with Cullen to find an ancient artifact sought by powerful beings who would do anything to claim it.

This book is mainly told from Cynna and Cullen's perspectives. Even though Cynna knows she is pregnant, she is still holding on to every shred of denial she can, including telling herself she can keep Cullen at an arms length. When she and Cullen get kidnapped into another realm called Edge, she must learn to trust him, for he seems to be the only one who cares at all if she lives or dies. She is forced on a search for a magical medallion that controls the seasons in Edge, but not everyone wants her to find it.

I have to say I love Cynna and Cullen's love hate relationship. You can really tell they both care for each other no matter how much either of them denies it. One minute they are fighting and the next.. well.. Ahem.. I have to say Cullen's commitment surprised me since the Lupi are extremely against monogamy. But, considering the Lupi's very low fertility this does make sense. Of course Cullen seems to make it a habit to break all the rules as much as possible.

I really enjoyed some of the sideline characters, especially Gan, the semi-former demon who has grown a soul. She is a very amusing character, so childlike, yet strong. I enjoyed seeing more of her transformation as she learns what it means to care for others, the main component of a soul. I also enjoyed the part, while small about Kai and Nathan. It appears there is a short story about them called, "Inhuman" from the Anthology, On the Prowl. The two of them really intrigued me, so I'll have to check out their short story.

I was a little gun shy at first about this book since Lily and Rule are not much of a focus in this book, but I'm really glad I decided to continue on with the series. This book was really fulfilling, and I actually didn't miss Lily and Rule too much. Cynna and Cullen's journey was more than enough to keep my attention, and made for a very good read.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Night Season (The World of the Lupi, Book 4)

Blood Lines

, by KT

Blood Lines by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #3

Touch-sensitive FBI agent Lily Yu and her werewolf bond-mate are recruited by the Secret Service to help identify elected officials who have accepted demonic pacts. But Lily must turn to fellow agent Cynna Weaver for help when Cynna's former teacher, a demon master, emerges as the main suspect behind the pacts.

After a demon commits a gruesome murder, sorcerer Cullen Seabourne joins the team racing the clock to find the apprentice of evil who uses demons to kill. Cynna and Cullen must work together—a challenge indeed when each has good reason to ignore the desire simmering between them. But passion and events both spiral out of control as an ancient prophecy is fulfilled-and the lupi's greatest enemy sets her sights on total devastation...

Once again the Lupi are being attacked, with the source tracing back to an influence from the evil goddess with the unspeakable name. Demons are being used to target the heirs, a surefire way to destroy the Lupi quickly. To make matters worse, the goddess's current puppet seems to be Cynna's former teacher, Jiri. It will take the whole gang to defeat both the demons and their controller, even with all of them it may not be enough.

In this book we find out a bit more about Lily's mysterious Grandmother, Li Lei. I was glad to have a better picture of who/what she is, even if there still are many unanswered questions. The book also focuses more on Cynna and Cullen. To think I once found Lily and Rule's relationship to be frustrating, those two clashing was nothing compare to Cynna and Cullen. They could go from insanely mad at each other to tearing the others clothes off in less than two seconds. The two definitely have a major love hate relationship going. Somehow, though it works, and I feel the attraction between the two. I think their relationship will work well with them constantly clashing with the other because neither of them could be happy with something docile. Future books will only tell if they can work as a couple or not.

Things have gotten complicated in the Lupi world. Some nasty events occur that make the animosity between the Nokolai and the Leidof even higher. Because of these events, Rule is now stuck between the two clans with no way out in sight. I really never saw that coming, and should make for interesting events in future books, but only time will tell. Luckily, for now it does seem to be the calm before the storm. The characters have enough to handle with the demons that keep targeting Lupi heirs.

This book has a lot of things going on, and once it started, it just didn't stop. I enjoyed the addition of focus on Cynna and Cullen. Sometimes it is nice to have a new perspective in a series. I really love the cover as well. The tattoos are gorgeous! This series is definitely getting better as it goes on, and I cannot wait to read the next book.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Blood Lines (The World of the Lupi, Book 3)

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

, by KT

Don't forget to enter the 100 Followers Contest!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

Last Sacrifice - Vampire Academy #6

by Richelle Mead

Publication Date: December 7, 2010

Amazon Pre-Order: Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, Book 6)

Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them.

I absolutely LOVE this series. Rose has been through so much, and I hope she gets some peace and happiness.. and well.. Dimitri ;) I will be sad to see Rose's story end, but at least there will be a spin off series. This is definitely a series to check out!

Teaser Tuesday (5)

, by KT

Don't forget to enter the 100 Followers Contest!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is from Night Season by Eileen Wilks. This is the 4th book in the World of the Lupi Series. The teaser comes from 4% of the way in according to my kindle. (Sorry, no page number, that's one of the very few downsides to the kindle)

"Lily always looked right. But she was tiny and.. well, not cute. You wouldn't call a bullet cute, no matter how small and shapely it was. Bullets are also notoriously hard to stop, and that was like Lily too."

Mortal Danger

, by KT

Mortal Danger by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #2

Former homicide cop Lily Yu has a lot on her plate. There's her sister's wedding, a missing magical staff with unknown powers, and her grandmother's sudden decision to visit the old country just when Lily could use a little advice. Maybe she should turn to the man she's involved with, but for all the passion that flares between them, she doesn't really know Rule Turner. Yet she's tied to him for life, both of them caught in an unbreakable mate bond.

That Rule is a werewolf, prince of his people, only complicates matters.

Now an agent in a special unit of the FBI's Magical Crimes Division, Lily's job is to hunt down Harlowe, a charismatic cult leader bent on bringing an ancient evil into the world. But what Lily doesn't realize is that Harlowe has set a trap-for her. And then the unthinkable happens.

In the blink of any eye Lily's world divides and collides, and she is thrust into a new and frightening reality. Her only hope will be to trust Rule-and herself-or Lily will be lost forever...

After the events of the last book, it was inevitable that there would be repercussions for Lily. Harlowe, the leader of the cult serving the goddess whose name cannot be spoken, is out to destroy Lily. Since she is a sensitive and magic does not work on her, he uses the goddess to help form a plot to enable a demon to possess Lily. Things go wrong and Lily finds herself split in two with neither half knowing about the other.

While Lily has finally accepted that she is bound to Rule for life, she still is fighting him tooth and nail on pretty much everything. Sometimes it seems she is just refusing something for the sake of fighting. She refuses his help and protection. She is keeping him at an arms length as much as she possibly can. I keep hoping she will relax a little and let herself truly feel, but that may be an impossible wish.

Rule has the opposite problem as Lily. He wants to be with her at all times. If he had his way, Lily would live with him and quit her job so she would never be in danger. I do find him to be a little bit of a hypocrite because he wants her to completely open up to him, but there is so much he is still hiding from her.

The book was overall decent, but I find the impasse between Lily and Rule to be very frustrating. They both need to give a little and learn to accept the other one's nature. Hopefully in the future books, they will start to grow together, because as of right now I'm having a hard time feeling for them as a couple.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Mortal Danger (The World of the Lupi, Book 2)

100 Followers Contest!!

, by KT

Well, I finally hit the 100 followers mark, so I think its time for my first giveaway. The giveaway is for one of the books listed bellow, which will ship from The book Depository. This part of the contest is open to international entries where The Book Depository ships. I picked out a variety of my favorite books. Hopefully at least one will be of interest. I know I love them all!

If I reach 200 followers, I'll give away a signed and personalized Hardcover book from Kim Harrison. I can get any of her already released books, except for Black magic Sanction. That's right SIGNED and PERSONALIZED! Unfortunately this special part of the giveaway is only open to US entries. Sorry!

For every 50 followers after 200, I'll add another winner for a choice of a book shipped from The Book Depository from the list above!

To enter, please enter the form below, as well as answer the question below in the comments section. You must fill out both the from and answer in the comments or you will not be entered. You can get extra entries by spreading the word about this contest, as well as posting the buttons from the bottom of this post on your blog. Also, if you purchase anything through the Amazon referral banner below, you get 10 extra entries. I plan to use ALL commissions from that for future giveaways. I love giveaways, and this will help me be able to do more of them.

This contest will end at 11:59PM September 6th. I will announce the winner(s) on September 7th. The winner(s) have three days to respond, or I will choose another one. Thanks for entering, and Good Luck!

Enter the Form Here

Here is the question to answer in the comments:

Who is your favorite book heroine and why?

Make a purchase through this banner to support future giveaways and get 10 extra entries!